Lionel Richie

Judge

Judge Biography

International superstar Lionel Richie has a discography of albums and singles that is second to none. His music is part of the fabric of pop music; in fact, Richie is one of only two songwriters in history to achieve the honor of having No. 1 records for nine consecutive years. Other career highlights include more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe®, four Grammy Awards, the distinction of MusicCares person of the year in 2016 and a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017.

Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Richie is known for his big hits such as "Endless Love," "Truly," "All Night Long," "Penny Lover," "Stuck on You," "Hello," "Say You, Say Me," "Dancing on the Ceiling" and one of the most important pop songs in history, "We Are the World," written with Michael Jackson for USA for Africa. His song catalog also includes his early work with the Commodores, where he developed a groundbreaking style that defied genre categories, penning smashes such as "Three Times a Lady," "Still" and "Easy."

Richie is a judge on ABC's American Idol this season. He launched his Las Vegas residency show, Lionel Richie – All the Hits, at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in April 2016.

With his most recent All the Hits, All Night Long Tour, Richie sold out arenas worldwide with a set list of his brightest and best anthems. In recent years, he also headlined festivals including Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and Glastonbury, drawing the festival's biggest crowd ever with more than 200,000 attendees.